7 July Memorial
The 7 July Memorial is a permanent memorial to the 52 victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. It is located on the east side of Hyde Park, between Lover's Walk and Park Lane, close to Curzon Gate and about north of the monumental statue of Achilles. Design The monument is made of 52 stainless steel columns (or stelae), each tall and weighing about . The stelae are grouped in four linked clusters that reflect the four locations of the bombings at Tavistock Square, Edgware Road, King's Cross and Aldgate East tube stations. The columns are anonymous, but each is inscribed with the date, place and time of the relevant bombing; a separate plaque lists the names of those killed. The form of the memorial, with many standing columns, has been compared to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, and the New Zealand War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner.How do you build a modern memorial?, BBC News, 6 August 2008 A grass bank to the east of the memorial shields the site from the noise of traffic on Park Lane.7 July Memorial unveiled in London's Hyde Park, Arup, 7 July 2009 The proposal for a permanent memorial was announced on 13 February 2006, with £1 million of central government funding. The memorial was designed by a team including architects Carmody Groarke, engineers Arup, and landscape architects Colvin and Moggridge (see Brenda Colvin), advised by sculptor Antony Gormley, in consultation with representatives from the families of the victims, and also representatives from the Royal Parks and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.Carmody Groarke unveils design for 7/7 London bombings memorial, building .co.uk, 1 August 2008"Review: Carmody Groarke’s July 7 memorial", Building Design, 6 July 2009"Pillar memorial for 7/7 victims", BBC News, 1 August 2008"7 July Memorial", Carmody Groarke The steel was cast by Norton Cast Products of Sheffield."7 July Memorial - Royal Parks" Each pillar was cast in sand using the same mould, but using an open casting process that means each is slightly different, with a rough surface texture."Families praise 7 July memorial", BBC News, 6 July 2009 The proposed design was approved in November 2008,Hyde Park 7/7 memorial approved, BBC News, 4 November 2008 and the completed memorial was unveiled on the fourth anniversary of the attacks on 7 July 2009, at a ceremony attended by family members and relations of the victims and Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and other political leaders and representatives from the emergency services.Tributes paid at 7 July memorial, BBC News, 7 July 2009 The memorial was one of 102 structures given an award by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2010.Memorial 7 July 2005, Modus Operandi Vandalism The memorial was defaced with graffiti two weeks after its dedication ceremony in 2009, with words written on the memorial with a black marker pen.7/7 bombings memorial vandalised, BBC News, 20 July 2009 It was vandalised for a second time in 2014, on the morning of the ninth anniversary of the attacks. In the 2014 incident slogans such as "4Innocent Muslims", "Blair Lied Thousands Died" and "J7 Truth" were stencilled in red and black on the memorial, and were removed shortly after being discovered by the park's manager. 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park vandalised on eve of commemorations, BBC News, 7 July 2014 In June 2015, there were concerns that the site was being used by a group of rough sleepers.7/7 bombing victims' memorial used as makeshift camp by rough sleepers in London's Hyde Park, London Evening Standard, 30 June 2015 Gallery File:7_7_Hyde_Park_090712.jpg|Memorial in July 2009, five days after it was unveiled File:Plaque at 7-7-2005 bombings memorial, Hyde Park - geograph.org.uk - 1757634.jpg|Memorial plaque File:7th July Memorial 6 (3713347911).jpg|Floral tribute on a pillar File:Wording on stela of 7-7-2005 bombings memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1757654.jpg|Detail on a pillar References Category:Buildings and structures completed in 2009 Category:Monuments and memorials in London Category:Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Category:July 2005 London bombings Category:Hyde Park, London Category:Buildings and structures in Hyde Park, London Category:Vandalized works of art in the United Kingdom